Well getting excited. I have the ladder connecting the lower section and bench section in. All that is left is to lay track. That will be my evenings work. Once that is done I will be able to drive the golden spike and begin operations. I will still have three spurs to.put in but I will be running trains tonight I think. If not for sure by Tuesday
Devon Sinsley said:
ā¦but I will be running trains tonight I think. If not for sure by Tuesday
Well well wellā¦after 59 pages I feel like itās our LSC railroad as much as yours, so I hope to God you have one of those fancy cameras that takes videos so we can all witness the maiden run and give you a big Amen!
So there it is folks. The final tie in. I got this done at 8:45 only to find out my only operational locomotive was dead in the water. I left the switch on and the battery is dead. So Tuesday, when I get home from work, I will break out the loco and a few cars and start putting it through its paces. I still have three sidings to put in before I call this phase done but I can say I have a working RR now. The Coeur dāAlene Railway and Navigation Company will be open for business by the end of next weekend. Then it will be landscaping and tweaking. I might at some point try and put in the terminal end of the line, āBurke,ā before the years end but I am not including that in the ādoneā requirements.
OH and for the sharp eyed I will explain why the lower section of bench does not have weed block nor a back board. This section of bench serves as a transition. It rolls down about a 2.5% grade. The spur track will maintain a 0% grade with the higher section. I am hoping over time to make this section all transition with faux rock walls and trestles. So it will all be built up to track level. This is the only section I plan on not using real materials to landscape.
John Passaro said:
Devon Sinsley said:
ā¦but I will be running trains tonight I think. If not for sure by TuesdayWell well wellā¦after 59 pages I feel like itās our LSC railroad as much as yours, so I hope to God you have one of those fancy cameras that takes videos so we can all witness the maiden run and give you a big Amen!
I donāt have one. . .but I know someone who does. I plan on putting it on a flat car in front of my loco and giving you all a tour. I will give a teaser; even though I can run trains, the official āGolden Spikeā ceremony, with all its pomp and circumstance, will be July 29th. Stay tuned.
OH YEAH ITS JULY 9TH 2017. LOOKS LIKE I MADE MY DEADLINE.
Why not Monday?
Because after work I have my Parolee mentorship program
Devon Sinsley said:
OH YEAH ITS JULY 9TH 2017. LOOKS LIKE I MADE MY DEADLINE.
Congratsā¦now the fum beginsā¦(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
note to self: strike āDevoningā from the diccionary.
Korm Kormsen said:
note to self: strike āDevoningā from the diccionary.
Now donāt get too hasty. While I met this deadline I still am a power dreamer/procrastinator. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
I still have a few things on the punch list to get done before I am truly where I want to be by the time I show it off to the club.
Install three sidings
Finish gravel under the bench and the walkway.
Add more of the fines around the layout where it settled.
put dirt and fines on bench.
ballast track.
paint cabinet.
When that is done then I will be ready to show it off.
Devon, the railroad looks great. Iām glad youāre going to run a train and start having fun. Iām looking forward to the August meeting at your house. Iāll see you Saturday at the club meeting.
Chuck Inlow said:
Devon, the railroad looks great. Iām glad youāre going to run a train and start having fun. Iām looking forward to the August meeting at your house. Iāll see you Saturday at the club meeting.
Its getting there Chuck. My hope by August is to not only have it fully operational but have it aesthetically pleasing as well. But that willbe the fun part just building it up. But at least now I get to play while I work.
As for the club meeting that is looking iffy. I am not sure I wil be there. Hoping too but not sure yet.
Well I spent about half an hour doing some minor ops on the layout. Took the forney out with four cars. No video or pictures. Your just going to have to wait for July 29th for that. But here are some issues. I have a āsoftā spot in one corner where the track is not resting firmly on the ladder. Should just need a shim under one side. It didnāt cause any issue just looked ugly. On several turnouts, especially in the yard, I had some real derailment issues picking the frogs. Not the points, but the frogs. Seemed some cars worse than others and the forney sailed through without issue. This tells me that my frogs have tight tolerances and my cars are out of gauge. I will verify that before trying to fix the track. I forgot about the hinges on the lift bridge, so turning the forney was an impossibility on the bench. That was it. all and all a very successful trail run.
I use Kadeeās G-gauge https://kadee.com/htmbord/page880.htm
I set my wheels and my couplers with this and all play well together !
Sean McGillicuddy said:
I use Kadeeās G-gauge https://kadee.com/htmbord/page880.htm
I set my wheels and my couplers with this and all play well together !
I need to get or make one. I am 99.99999999999999999999999999999% sure this is my issue and not my track. If I had something to do with the problem switches then maybe but since I just installed them I am more convinced its a gauge issue with my wheels.
Devon, I had many phantom derailments (no obvious cause), and issues with my switches, until I sat down a adjusted the wheel gauge of my cars. The first batch I adjusted, I used a caliper, since I didnāt have a gauge. Then I found the specs online for making my own gauge, so I made one and have been using that ever since. It does solve a lot of them āwhy did that happen?ā problems.
Also, when you go to Kadees, make sure your trip pins are 1/8th inch above the rail-heads. I use a piece of 1/8th in strip-wood as my go/no-go gauge. Low trip pins will also cause issues at the switches, diamonds and grade crossings.
Back to back of wheels should be 1.575". I say, should because some wheels are wider and thus needs a slightly narrower back to back gauge.
Store bought turnouts, especially yours, except Aristo, are made to Enema Ray specs. Our wheels etc, by and large arenāt. Or, if they were, get out of spec if someone sneezes, or opens the door.
Check your wheel gauge.
Craig Townsend said:
Back to back of wheels should be 1.575". I say, should because some wheels are wider and thus needs a slightly narrower back to back gauge.
60 pages of a build log and we are back to basics?